Document transferring apparatus



Dec. 21, 1965 M. G. SMITH DOCUMENT TRANSFERRING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet1 Filed May 9, 1963 INVENTOR.

MALCOLM 6. SMITH ATTORNEY 1965 M. (5. SMITH 3,224,760

1965 M. G. SMITH 3,224,760

DOCUMENT TRANSFERRING APPARATUS Filed May 9, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 l whlll i United States Patent 3,224,760 DOCUMENT TRANSFERRING APPARATUSMalcolm Graham Smith, Phoenix, Aria, assignor to General ElectricCompany, a corporation of New York Filed May 9, 1963, Ser. No. 279,196Claims. (Cl. 27168) This invention concerns an apparatus for handlingsheets of flexible resilient material and more particularly concerns anapparatus for transferring a sheet of flexible resilient material beingmoved in a path of travel to a receiving compartment at the end of thepath of travel.

In a document handling apparatus of the type d scribed, for example, inUnited States Patent Number 3,108,694, System for Collating Documents inResponse to Indicia Appearing Thereon, issued October 29, 1963, by N. R.Crain et al. and assigned to the present assignee, flexible resilientdocuments, such as bank drafts, bearing indicia are transported in apath of travel past an indicia reading device and subsequently past anumber of transferring stations. Normanly the transferring stationsoperate to effect transfer of each document from this path of travelinto ta respective receiving compartment in accordance with the indiciaon such document.

However, occasionally a document may contain defective indicia or noindicia. This document is merely transported past all of thetransferring stations to the end of the path of travel. Additionally, atransferring station may occasionally fail to transfer a document intoits assoicated receiving compartment due to reasons such as the documentnot being properly located in the path of travel as the transferringstation is operated. The document that was intended, but failed to betransferred, usually continues to be moved in the path of travel pastthe remainder of the transferring stations to the end of the path oftravel. The time of arrival of the document at the end of the path oftravel is generally unpredictable. Therefore, it is necessary that ameans be provided for transferring into a last receiving compartment alldocuments that arrive at any time at the end of the path of travel.

Documents handled by apparatuses of the type described in theaforementioned patent are sheets of paper which are flexible andresilient.

The documents are advanced edgewise in the path of travel by beingfirmly supported and gripped along their length between a series ofmoving, opposed belts. However, at the end of the path of travel thedocument must be ejected directly from between the opposed belts andfully into the last receiving compartment. Thus as the document isdriven into the last receiving compartment an increasing area of themoving document emerges from between the opposed upporting belts.

A serious problem is encountered when attempting to rapidly move a sheetof flexible resilient material edgewise if the forward edge is notsupported. The forward edge of the moving sheet is deflected to one sideor another by the force of the encountered air stream. The deflectedside of the forward edge presents to the air stream additional sheetsurface. The force of the air stream acting upon the additionallyexposed surface of the moving sheet causes further deflecting aside ofthe sheets forward edge. The overall effect may be a buckling or rollingup of the unsupported sheet as it moves in the path of travel.Therefore, in order to reliably transfer a document rapidly egressingfrom between opposed moving belts or other supporting devices into areceiving compartment, a means for resisting the forces of an air streamacting on the forward edge of the document must be provided.

When a document completely emerges from between opposed moving belts itgenerally ha a short distance ice yet to travel before being firmlyentered into the receiving compartment. The document must also be freeto be urged laterally aside in order that the next succeeding documentmay be entered into the receiving compartment. Therefore a means must beprovided for aiding complete depositing of a document into a receivingcompartment as it emerges from between supporting moving belts and yetnot interfere with stacking of succeeding documents entering into thereceiving compartment.

Accordingly it is a principle object of the present invention to providefor an improved apparatus for transferring a document from a path oftravel into a receiving compartment.

Another object of the present invention is to provide novel apparatusfor moving edgewise a sheet of flexible resilient material in a path oftravel.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide apparatusfor resisting air stream forces acting on the forward area of a movingsheet of flexible resilient material.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide anapparatus for moving an unsupported sheet of flexible resilient materialacross a space without difficulty.

The present invention in which the stated objects are realized comprisesa deflecting device which. curves or deflects each moving document to aconfiguration infusing longitudinal and lateral stiffness to thedocument as it emerges from between the opposed belts. Curving of thedocument, as previously described, causes resilient forces of thedocument to react with the deflecting device to urge one surface of thedocument into frictional engagement with the moving belt portion tofurther guide and aid movement of the document into the compartment.

The features of novelty that are considered characteristic of theinvention are set forth with particularity in the "appended claims. Theorganization and method of operation of the invention itself will bestbe understood from the following description when read in connectionwith the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a simplified diagrammatic illustration of a documenthandling apparatus which utilizes the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective View of the present invention.

FIGURE 3 is a top elevational view of the present invention.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

The apparatus of FIG. 1 is divided, for purpose of explanation, intoseveral distinct sections; namely, from right to left in the figure, adocument feeding section indicated generally by the reference numeral10, a document reading section indicated generally by the referencenumeral 11, a series of identical document transferring stationsindicated generally by reference numerals 12a, 12b, and 12c and aterminal receiving section indicated generally by numeral 13.

Individual documents 14 contained in a supply hopper 15 are held in anupright position between a pusher plate 16 and a document feeding device17. Upon receipt of a document feeding control signal from an externalsource (not shown) the feeding device accelerates the foremost documentfrom the supply hopper toward the reading section 11 by a system ofmoving belts.

At the reading section 11 the accelerated document is transported at aconstant speed past a symbol reading device 18 by being gripped by asystem of moving belts. As the document moves past the reading device 18the information contained thereon is sensed and converted to acorresponding series of electrical symbol signals. Symbol signals aretransmitted to an external device (not shown) such as an electronic dataprocessor or a system shown in the previously mentioned N. R. Crain etal. patent. The external device interprets the symbol signals and turnmay transmit a decision signal to a temporary memory 19. The decisionsignal denotes the one of a plurality of receiving compartments 20a, 20band 20c into which the document just read is to be deposited. Thetemporary memory 19 stores the decision signal until such time that itis to be utilized to operate one of the transferring stations 12a, 12b,or 120.

After reading of the document it is advanced toward the transferringstations 12a, 12b, and 120, by being gripped between opposed movingbelts 22a, 22b, and 220, and 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23a.

The terminal receiving section 13, which includes the present invention,is provided with a special receiving compartment 26 into which alldocuments arriving at the receiving section 13 at any time areautomatically and reliably transferred or deposited without control bymemory 19.

Reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate that as a document advances intothe section 13 it is supported by being gripped between a portion of abelt 22c and a portion of a belt 27 Belt 27 is wrapped aroundapproximately 180 of a cylindrically surfaced drum 28 which is rotatablysupported on a base 34 of the section 13. The belt 27 is additionallyheld in position by pulleys 50, 51, 52, and 53. A tensioning pulley 54is supported on a pivoted support arm 55 that is biased by a spring 56to urge pulley 54 to ride against a portion of belt 27. The biasedpulley 54 thus takes up any slack in belt 27 and imparts a tension inthe entire length of belt 27. Drum 28 is rotated at a constant angularspeed (by means not shown) in a counterclockwise direction in order todrive belt 27 at a constant linear speed.

The special receiving compartment 26 into which the documents are to bedeposited is located generally at the region outwardly of that portionof belt 27 contained between drum 28 and pulley 53.

A belt 29 is positioned around a series of rotatably supported pulleys60, 61, 62, and 63 such that a portion of belt 29 is held against thatportion of belt 27 that conforms to drum. 28. Pulley 63 is positioned ona spring biased tensioning arm 68 so that pulley 63 imparts a tension inbelt 29 and thereby firmly urges a portion of belt 29 against theopposed portion of belt 27. As a document emerges from between opposedbelts 22c and 27 the forward area of the document is gripped betweenbelts 27 and 29. The document then follows the opposed portions of belts27 and 29. Thus the movement of the document is changed from aright-to-left direction to a I left-to-right direction. A change indirecton of the moving document is not important to the presentinvention, but is provided in order to move the documents into thecompartment 26, whch is located on the same side of the documenthandling apparatus as are the receiving compartments 20a, 20b, and 200.

The document emerges from between belts 27 and 29 at the point wherebelt 29 passes around pulley 60. As the forward area of the documentemerges from between belts 27 and 29 the document moves or is advancedinto the beginning of compartment 26.

The forward or leading edge of the document must travel acrosscompartment 26 to a point slightly to the right of pulley 53 before itis completely deposited in compartment 26. This distance or path oftravel is greater than the length of the longest document that is to bedeposited in the compartment 26. The distance separating pulley 60 frompulley 52, is however, slightly less than the length of the shortestdocument that is to be deposited in compartment 26. However, thedistance of the path of travel of a document from pulley 60 to pulley 52is considerably greater than the space that can be traversed by arapidly moving unsupported document before air stream forces deflect theforward area of the unsupported document.

The present invention enables the document to cross this space withoutdiflicu lty. Air stream forces are prevented from uncontrollablydeflecting the forward area of the document in the present invention byproviding means for controllably deflecting or curving the document asit emerges from between belts 27 and 29 so that the document islongitudinally stiffened. The deflecting means includes an upstandingsupport column 33 rigidly attached to base 34 at a point between pulleys60 and 61. A guide or deflecting member 35 is attached to the column 33and extends at an acute angle toward belt 27. The upper right handcorner of the guide 35 is bent inwardly across the top of belt 27 asillustrated more fully in FIG. 4. A second guide or deflecting member 36is attached to the column 33 and extends at an acute angle toward belt27. The lower right hand corner of guide 36 is bent inwardly across thebottom of belt 27.

As the forward area of a document 39 emerges from between belts 27 and29 an upper portion of the documents leading edge makes contact with thebent portion of guide 35 and at the same time a lower portion of thedocuments leading edge makes contact with the bent portion of guide 36.As the document continues its forward movement the upper and lowerportions of the leading edge of the document 39 are deflected or curvedto one side across respectively the top and bottom of belt 27. Since theflexible document is also resilient, the mid portion of the documentsleading edge also tends to follow the deflecton of the upper and lowerportions. However, since belt 27 is directly adjacent the mid portion ofthe documents leading edge, the mid portion is restrained from beingdeflected.

The deflecting or curving of the top and bottom and restraining of themid portion of the documents leading edge results in the leading edgebeing curved as clearly illustrated in FIG. 4. Curving of the documentat its leading edge induces a similar curvature everywhere in thedocument rearwardly of the leading edge. However, the document is lesscurved rearwardly of the points Where guides 35 and 36 directly contactthe document. This is due to the fact that the resilient forces in thecurved documents are increasingly able to straighten or flatten out thedocument.

As more area of the document emerges from between belts 27 and 29 andmoves forward in the path of travel toward the receiving compartment 26an upper longitudinal area of the document and a lower longitudinal areaof the document are thus moved past the respective guides 35 and 36.There will be a curvature induced in that area of the document 39forward of the guides 35 and 36. This curvature will depend upon theextent of curvature produced directly by the guides 35 and 36 plus theflattening effect of the natural resiliency of the document.

Deflecting devices other than bent guides 35 and 36 may be used toinduce curvature of the document 39. For example, rods or wiresextending from column 33 to a short distance across the top and bottomof belt 27 could be used equally as well, or for example, streams of airflowing transversely against the top and bottom portions of a documentas it emerges from between belts 27 and 29 could be used.

Since substantially the entire document length that is forward of theguides 35 and 36 is curved, the document is thus shaped to aconfiguration that stiflens it longitudinally and infuses resistance toforces acting substantially transversely to its surfaces tending tocrumple or buckle the document. Hence the document is stiffened whiletraversing the space from guides 35 and 36 to, essentially, pulley 52such that air stream forces acting on the forward edge of the documentintending to force the document out of the path of travel are resisted.

The curvature induced in the document 39 by guides 35 and 36 sets uppotential energy in the form of resilient forces tending to straightenor flatten the document. This potential energy is utilized in thepresent invention .5 for aiding continued driving of the document intothe receiving compartment 26. Since the resilient force in the documentacting to straighten the document are acting against the stationaryguides 35 and 36, a force concentrated along a longitudinal center lineof the document and normal to the surface of the document, is acting ina direction forcing the document into firm frictional con tact withmoving belt 27. Thus resilient forces of the curved documentconsiderably aid frictional engagement of the document with the movingbelt 27. Engagement of the moving belt 27 with the document aids drivingof the document further into the receiving compartment 26.

A tension induced in the belt 27 by tensioning pulley 54 as previouslydescribed is utilized as follows by the present invention. Previouslydescribed forces urging the document into frictional contact with belt27 pushes that portion of belt 27 contained between drum 28 and pulley52 inward; that portion of belt 27 is thus lengthened and the path oftravel of the belt is made slightly curved rather than straight. Theextra length is obtained by a corresponding shortening of that portionof belt 27 contained between pulley 51 and 53. Shortening of the lengthof the belt 27 between pulley 51 and 53 makes less curved that portionof the belt and causes tensioning pulley 54 to move with its pivot arm ashort distance in the clockwise direction and against the biasing forceof spring 56. Resilient forces of the curved document are thus balancedby additional biasing energy now stored by spring 56.

As the rearward edge of the moving document 39 passes completely pastthe guides 35 and 36 the biasing energy stored by spring 56 and theresilient forces of the curved document are now effective to cause therearward area of the document to be flung away from contact with themoving belt 27. The resilient forces in the curved document are noweffective to straighten or flatten the document. As the documentflattens the upper and lower longitudinal areas, which were previouslycurved, move in a direction away from belt 27. In addition, the tensionin the belt 27 causes its portion contained between drum 28 and pulley52 to straighten and move outward from its loop. Thus the tension inbelt 27 acts against the longitudinal mid area of the document and aidsmovement of the document in a direction away from the belt. Lateraldocument momentum continues to carry the document a short distancelaterally away from belt 27.

There has thus been shown a device for causing an unsupported document,moving in a path of travel, to be stiffened by lateral forces tending todeflect its leading edge in a direction lateral to the path of travel, adevice for frictionally engaging only one surface of the document sostiffened with a moving driving belt, and a device for causing adocument to be moved away from the frictionally engaging belt when thedocument has been substantially entered into the receiving compartment.

The special receiving compartment 26 includes several other featuresaiding efficient and firm depositing of documents therein. Asillustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 a guide plate support frame 40 ispositioned at the right-hand side of the compartment 26 and extends froma point adjacent pulley 53 to the rear end of compartment 26. A guideplate support bushing 41 is slideably position over a bushing supportrod 42 which is rigidly held in a horizontal position within supportframe 40. A biasing spring 43 coiled around support rod 42 andpositioned between the rearward end of frame 40 and bushing 41 biasesthe bushing in the forward direction. A guide plate support arm 44 isattached to bushing 41 and extends leftward across most of the width ofcompartment 26. A flat surfaced backup plate 47 is attached to arm 44and is parallel with that portion of belt 27 that runs between pulley 52and pulley 53. With no documents deposited within compartment 26 theforce of biasing spring 43 causes a portion of the right-hand area ofbackup plate 47 to be urged against that portion of belt 27 betweenpulleys 52 and 53 with a very small force. As a document is transferredinto the receiving compartment 26 as previously described, the leadingedge of that document is gripped between belt 27 and the surface ofguide plate 47, and is transported toward the extreme right end of thereceiving compartment 26. Thus the document is actively engaged withbelt 27 even though the rearward edge of that document has beentransported past guides and 36. The leading edge of the documentcontinues to be transported toward the right until the leading edgeemerges from between pulley 53 and plate 47 and makes contact with frame40. The distance separating the emergent point just mentioned and frameis short enough that the natural resiliency of the document prevents itscrumpling or buckling. The document thereupon halts in the compartment26. The frictional engagement between belt 27 and the deposited documentis low enough that the moving belt 27 merely slides over the surface ofthe deposited document without causing buckling or crumpling of thedocument.

Directly below the left hand end of support arm 44 is located a documentedge support trough 45. The trough is a groove in the base 34 thatextends from the rearward end of compartment 26 to a considerabledistance forward of the compartment 26. A document edge support band 46which is generally of a thickness slightly greater than the depth oftrough 45 is attached to the left hand end of support arm 44 and restswithin trough 45. As the document enters the receiving compartment 26the backup plate 47 is urged rearwardly to make room for that document.Since the forward area of the document is in contact with and conformsto the right-hand surface of backup plate 47 the natural resiliency ofthe document tends to flatten the entire docu ment such that therearward area of the document conforms to the left-hand area of backupplate 47. The bottom edge of the left-hand portion of the document nowdeposited within the compartment 26 rests upon support band 46. Asanother document is deposited in receiving compartment 26 it merelyslides against the previously deposited document in a manner asdescribed above when depositing the first document in the receivingcompartment 26. When a succeeding document is deposited in thecompartment 26 thereby causing further rearward movement of backup plate47, the left-hand edge of those documents already deposited in thecompartment are actively urged rearwardly by frictional contact with therearwardly moved band 46. Thus band 46 prevents dragging of the rearwardends of deposited documents on the stationary base 34.

While the principles of the invention have been made clear in theillustrative embodiments, there: will be obvious to those skilled in theart, many modifications in structure, arrangement, proportions, theelements, materials, and components, used in the practice of theinvention, and otherwise, which are adapted for specific environmentsand operating requirements, without departing from these principles. Theappended claims are therefore intended to cover and embrace any suchmodifications within the limits only of the true spirit and scope of theinvention.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for handling sheets of flexible resilient material, saidapparatus comprising: a sheet receiving and storing compartment; amoving endless belt; a supply means; a portion of said endless belt,extending from said supply means to said compartment, for transportingones of said sheets into said compartment; said supply meanssequentially delivering said sheets to said portion of said endlessbelt; deflecting members for curving said sheets about said endless beltto a configuration infusing transverse stiffness to said sheets; saiddeflecting members acting with resilient forces in said sheets therebycurved to urge one surface of said sheets into operative contact withsaid portion of said endless belt.

2. An apparatus for handling sheets of flexible resilient material, saidapparatus comprising: a sheet receiving and storing compartment; a sheetsupply means; a continuously driven endless belt; a portion of saidendless belt extending from said supply means into said compartment,said portion engageable with a longitudinal area of one surface of saidsheets for driving said sheets into said compartment when engagedtherewith, said supply means furnishing single ones of said sheets tosaid portion of said endless belt; guide mean for curving a firstlongitudinal area of said sheets over said belt and for curving a secondlongitudinal area under said belt; said guide means urging said sheetsinto operative engagement with said portion of said belt.

3. An apparatus for handling sheets of flexible resilient material, saidapparatus comprising: a sheet receiving and storing compartment; a sheetsupply means, a portion of a moving endless belt frictionally engageablewith one surface of said sheets, said portion extending from said supplymeans to said compartment, said portion moving a sheet engaged therewithinto said compartment; said supply means moving ones of said sheets in apath of travel adjacent said portion of said endless belt; stationaryguides positioned across said path of travel for curving portions ofsaid one sheet about said portion of said endless belt as said supplymeans moves said one sheet adjacent said portion of said endless belt.

4. An apparatus for handling sheets of flexible resilient material, saidapparatus comprising: a receiving compartment; a supply means; a movingendless belt extending from said supply means substantially intosaidreceiving compartment; sheet guiding means positioned between saidsupply means and said compartment, said guiding means and said beltdefining a path of travel between said supply means and saidcompartment; said belt moving ones of said sheets in said path oftravel; sheet curving means positioned between said supply means andsaid compartment, said curving means including members extending acrosssaid guiding means, said members contacting and curving said ones ofsaid sheets about said endless belt as said ones of said sheets aremoved in said path of travel.

5. An apparatus for handling sheets of flexible resilient material, saidapparatus comprising: a receiving compartment; a supply means; a movingendless belt, a portion of said endless belt extending from said supplymeans to said compartment; said portion of said endless belt defining apath of travel between said portion of said belt and said compartment;said supply means moving ones of said sheets in said path of travel;sheet flexing members extending across said portion of said endlessbelt; said members contacting and flexing longitudinal areas of saidones of said sheets about said endless belt as said ones of said sheetsare moved in said path of travel.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,841,394 7/1958Stobb 27187 2,944,813 7/1960 Smith 27171 3,052,467 9/ 1962 Fertig 271-713,139,278 6/1964 Maidment 27171 M. HENSON WOOD, JR., Primary Examiner.

ROBERT B. REEVES, Examiner.

1. AN APPARATUS FOR HANDLING SHEETS OF FLEXIBLE RESILIENT MATERIAL, SAIDAPPARATUS COMPRISING: A SHEET RECEIVING AND STORING COMPARTMENT; AMOVING ENDLESS BELT; A SUPPLY MEANS; A PORTION OF SAID ENDLESS BELT,EXTENDING FROM SAID SUPPLY MEANS TO SAID COMPARTMENT, FOR TRANSPORTINGONES OF SAID SHEETS INTO SAID COMPARTMENT; SAID SUPPLY MEANSSEQUENTIALLY DELIVERING SAID SHEETS TO SAID PORTION OF SAID ENDLESSBELT; DEFLECTING MEMBERS FOR CURVING SAID SHEETS ABOUT SAID ENDLESS BELTTO A CONFIGURATION INFUSING TRANSVERSE STIFFNESS TO SAID SHEETS; SAIDDEFLECTING MEMBERS ACTING WITH RESILIENT FORCES IN SAID SHEETS THEREBYCURVED TO URGE ONE SURFACE OF SAID SHEETS INTO OPERATIVE CONTACT WITHSAID PORTION OF SAID ENDLESS BELT.